Easter: The New Testament knows nothing of holy days established by the church. Apart from some of the Jewish believers who for a time continued in certain Old Testament customs, there is no command, no pattern, and no precedent for observing days such as Christmas or Easter. Galatians 4:9-11. For the believer, every day stands alike before God, each one lived in the light of Christ, not regulated by a calendar, but by the testimony God has given concerning His Son. If someone chooses to observe a day, that is their liberty, but such observance carries no authority from the Bible and should not be given the weight of one. Colossians 2:16-17. Still, with tomorrow being what the world calls “Easter,” it may be a fitting occasion to consider what lies behind it, not in the traditions that have gathered around it, but in the Scriptures themselves, which bring us back, not to a spring observance, but to the Passover: “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” I Corinthians 5:7.
That first Passover in Egypt stands as a clear figure of Christ. John 1:29. On that night, judgment moved through the land, and the destroyer smote the firstborn in every house. Israel was preserved, not because of who they were or anything they had done, but because of the lamb that had died in their place. “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:13. The blood upon the door-post spoke for them, standing as God’s appointed sign, so “he that destroyed the firstborn” passed over them. Hebrews 11:28. This was the dividing line – simple, yet absolute: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” The matter was settled there. The blood was outside, and they remained safely within. They could not see it for themselves, nor were they even asked to. It was not their sight of the blood, but His, that secured their deliverance. God had spoken, the provision had been made, and they simply believed the record: “that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” I John 5:11.
Thus the whole scene was ordered to declare something far greater than itself, and the apostle leaves no uncertainty as to its meaning: “For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” I Corinthians 5:7. And what makes this all the more striking is that our Lord was not only foreshadowed in the Passover, but was actually crucified at that very time. Consider that for a moment. This was not incidental, but ordered of God, who brought to pass in that very hour what He had long declared beforehand. Acts 2:23. While Israel kept the feast in remembrance of deliverance from Egypt, Christ was being offered up – the true Lamb of God, whose blood answers to all that had been set forth in type. The Passover was not only a picture of Him; it found its perfect fulfillment in the very hour of His death. John 18:28. And this was not merely to be observed, but to be understood, for in it God has set forth His own testimony concerning His Son. Romans 3:25. In other words, what is before us is not simply an event, but a declaration: that Christ is God’s salvation, and that it is God’s estimate of Him that settles everything. The question is not what we think of Christ, but what God has declared concerning Him, and that alone determines the whole matter. I John 5:9-10.
But the Passover does not end with the lamb slain. The One who was crucified at that appointed time did not remain under the power of death. God raised Him up, setting forth in the clearest way His own estimate of the sacrifice that had been offered. Hebrews 13:20. The resurrection stands as God’s witness that the work is complete, that sin has been put away, that death has been overcome, and that Christ has done what He came to do. It is God’s own testimony concerning His Son, declared with power by the resurrection from the dead. Romans 1:4. In this, God makes known that the sacrifice has been accepted, and that all for whom He died stand justified in Him: “Who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification.” Romans 4:25.
Sadly, for many, what is called “Easter” passes with little thought as to what the resurrection of Christ truly declares. It remains something traditional, familiar, even celebrated, yet largely undefined. There is talk of life, of hope, of new beginnings, but very little understanding of what was actually accomplished. The resurrection is not seen as the victory of Christ over sin and death, but as a vague and distant idea. But for the child of God, it is not vague at all. It is the clear and abiding witness that His work was not only undertaken, but completed, that death has been overcome, and that He has indeed saved His people from their sins. “For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14. This is no small thing; it is the ground of our peace and the cause of our continual worship and praise. MPJ